Nelson Mandela Bay – Feel it in the Air

From 11 June to 11 July 2010, Nelson Mandela Bay will be hosting the largest sporting event in the World: the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Eight games, including a third and fourth place playoff and a quarter final, will take place at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, the first to be completed in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is situated in the heart of Port Elizabeth, adjacent to the North End Lake. The stadiums main attraction will be its eye-catching, unique roof-structure and the spectacular view overlooking the sea board. Very few stadiums in the world can lay claim to being specially designed and constructed, to be next to a huge lake and have views of the lake on one side and the Bay on the other side: this in itself is a very distinctive feature of the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, in addition to its striking design. The overall cost of the construction of the stadium is estimated at approximately R1, 7 billion. The stadiums capacity is 38 000 and 48 000 for the World Cup. With a goal of being energy efficient, the stadium boasts an energy-saving design which includes an efficient building management and temperature control system and reduced energy consumption rates. During the construction process, extensive use was made of local suppliers and experts, in conjunction with international specialists. This ensured adequate skills transfers. An estimated 6 800 jobs were created throughout the process. The development of the stadium will result in the …